1.

Connecting
2. Messages
3. Wrong number
4. Apppointments
5. Booking flights
6. Language expert
 Thissection features phrases you might hear
when you telephone a company hoping to
talk to someone.
 Imagineyou are calling a company and want
to speak to someone who works there. Can
you think of any phrases you might use, or
that you might hear?
Introducing yourself Saying who you want
 Can I speak to …,  I’d like to speak
please? to..., please.
 Could I speak  Could I have
to……please? the...Department,
 Good morning, my please.
name is Aristo  Is... There, please?
 Hello, this
is...from...
 Hello, my name’s ...
Calling from...
 I’m ringing to...
 I’d like to...
 I need some information about...
Answers Saying someone is not
 Who’s calling, please? available
 How can I help?  I’, sorry he/she’s not
available...
 Please hold
 Sorry, he/she’s
 I’ll just put you through
away/not in/in a
 Who shall I say is meeting/in Milan
calling?
 Just a second
 I’ll see if he’s in
 I’ve got ……..on the
phone for you
 Hang on a moment
Michelle: Hello, you've reached the marketing department. How can I help?

Male: Yes can I speak to Rosalind Wilson, please?

Michelle: Who’s calling please?
Male: It’s Richard Davies here
Michelle: Certainly. Please hold and I’ll put you through.
Male: Thank you.

Michelle: Hello, marketing. How can I help?

Male: Could I speak to Jason Roberts please?
Michelle: Certainly. Who shall I say is calling?
Male: My name’s Mike Andrews.
Michelle:
Just a second - I’ll see if he’s in. Hello, Jason, I’ve got Mike Andrews
on the phone for you ... OK - I’ll put him through. Hang on a moment,
I’m just putting you through.
 Instructions: Choose the one correct answer 1. When you telephone a
company the person answering the phone may ask you a question.
Which is the correct question?
 A Who’s calling please?
B Who calls?
C Who it is?
D Who called?
 2. Which phrase means the same as ‘hang on a moment?’
 A Just a second
B I’ll put you on
C Go ahead
D I’m ready
 3. Choose the correct word: “Please ……. and I’ll put you through.”
 A stop
B stay
C talk
D hold
 4. What is the expression used to connect two people on the
telephone?
 A I’m sending you through
B I’m putting you through
C I’m calling you through
D I’m talking you through
 Please work in pair, make a dialog based on
the following situation:
 A purchasing manager has received an
incomplete delivery
 To tell the supplier that the delivery is incomplete
 To arrange to get the rest of the delivery sent ASAP
 (possibly) to complain about the poor service
 A computer operator has a software problem and
call the software helpline
 In this section we'll learn some phrases you
might hear if the person you wish to speak to
is busy.
Caller Recepient
 Could you give  Can I take a
him/her a message? message
 Can I leave him/her  Can I take your
a message? number, please?
 Please tell  OK, I’ll make sure
him/her... he gets the message
 Please ask him/her  Can you call back
to ring me on... later?
 Could you tell him
that…
 Can anyone else
help you?
 Can I help you
perhaps?
 Would you like to
speak to his
assistant?
 Shall I ask him to
call you back?
Claire: Hello, finance department
Female:
Hello, can I speak to Adrian Hopwood, please?

Claire:
I’m afraid he’s in a meeting at the moment. Can I help?

Female:
No I need to talk to Mr Hopwood, I think. What time will he be out of the meeting?

Claire:
In about an hour. Can you call back later?

Female: Okay, I’ll do that.

Claire: Or can I take a message?
Female:
Actually, would you mind? Could you tell him that Jennifer McAndrews called and that
I’m in the office all day if he could call me back.

Claire: Can I take your number, please?

Female: Yes, it’s 5556872.
Claire:
5556872. Okay, I’ll make sure he gets the message.

Female:
Thanks very much for your help, bye!

Claire: Goodbye!
Instructions: Finish the sentence by chosing the correct words and writing them into the
empty boxes.
1. He’s not in his office at the moment,
__________ ______________ _____________ ___________ _______?
take / can / your / message / I / a / please

2. She’ll be back in the office this afternoon,

__________ ____________ _________ ______________ _________ ?
later / call / can / back / you / soon / message

3. Can I speak to June Wilkinson please?

__________ ____________ _________ ______________ _________ _________.
meeting / afraid / I’m / she’s / a / in / at / on

4. Could you ask him to ring me back please? My number is 020 7558 4567.
__________ , ____________ _________ ______________ _________ _________
_________ ________________.
message / I’ll / sure / make / OK / gets / he / the / an / on
 Telephone Message
To/For: Time of call
From/Caller: Company
Phone number:
Message:
Introduction
 If you dial the wrong number it can be
confusing and embarrassing. But how do you
find out that you've made a mistake? And
how can you check to be sure?
 Imagineyou've dialled the wrong number.
What might the person who answers your call
say? What would you say in reply?
 You must have the wrong number
 Is that not 556 8790?
 No, it’s 555 8790
 Sorry about that
 I must have dialled the wrong number
 Can I help you?
 I’m sorry, you’ve got the wrong number
 I’ll try and put you through
 His direct number is…
 Sorry to have troubled you
Male: Hello, this is the press office.
Michelle: Rachel Allsop please.
Male:
I’m sorry, you must have the wrong number. There’s no-one of that name here.

Michelle: Oh. Can I check the number I’ve got…. is that not 5568790?
Male: No, it’s 5558790.
Michelle: Oh sorry about that. I must have dialled the wrong number.
Male: No problem! Bye!

Male: Hello, press office, can I help you?

Ruth: Hello. Paul Richards, please.
Male:
I’m sorry, you’ve got the wrong number, but he does work here. I’ll try and put
you through. In future his direct number is 5558770.

Ruth: Did I not dial that?

Male: No you rang 5558790.
Ruth: Oh, sorry to have troubled you.
Male:
No problem. Hang on a moment and I’ll put you through to Paul’s extension.

Ruth: Thanks.
 Instructions: Choose the correct word to complete the sentence. 1. You ______
have the wrong number.
 A should
B would
C must
D can

 2. His _______ number is 998922.

 A straight
B direct
C certain
D sure

 3. I'm ________ to have troubled you.

 A upset
B apologise
C sorry
D sad

 4. I'm sorry, you've _______ the wrong number.

 A got
B had
C have
D put
Introduction
 Making an appointment can be complicated if
two people are very busy. How do you find a
time that is convenient for both of you?
 Onceagain, imagine you are making a
telephone call. This time you are arranging
an appointment to see someone. What
phrases might you use or hear?
 Can I speak to Brian Hibberd, please?
 I’m afraid he’s in a meeting
 I’d like to arrange an appointment
 I’ll just look in the diary
 When’s convenient for you?
 Would next Wednesday be OK?
 He’s free in the afternoon after about
three
 I could make it after four
 So shall we say 4.15 next Wednesday?
Michelle: Mr Hibberd’s office!
Peter: Hello, can I speak to Brian Hibberd, please?
Michelle:
I’m afraid he’s in a meeting until lunchtime. Can I take a message?
Peter: Well, I’d like to arrange an appointment to see him, please. It’s Peter
Jefferson here.
Michelle: Could you hold on for a minute, Mr Jefferson. I’ll just look in the diary. So
when’s convenient for you?
Peter:
Some time next week if possible. I gather he’s away the following week.
Michelle: Yes, that’s right, he’s on holiday for a fortnight.
Peter: Well, I need to see him before he goes away. So would next Wednesday be
okay?
Michelle: Wednesday . let me see . he's out of the office all morning. But he's free in the
afternoon, after about three.
Peter: Three o'clock is difficult. But I could make it after four.
Michelle:
So shall we say 4.15 next Wednesday, in Mr Hibberd's office?
Peter: Yes, that sounds fine. Thanks very much.
Michelle: Okay, then. Bye.
 Instructions: Finish the sentence with the correct phrase.
 1. I’d like to ___________ an appointment
 A arrange
B have
C do
D save
 2. I could ________ it after four
 A take
B fake
C get
D make
 3. Let’s meet next Wednesday… shall we _____ 4.15?
 A arrange
B say
C suggest
D see
 4. Would next _________ be OK?
 A day
B morning
C week
D afternoon
Introduction
 Modern business often involves international
travel. When booking a flight, what questions
do you need to ask?
 Imagineyou are booking a flight and a hotel
over the phone. What words and expressions
do you use?
 I’d like to enquire about flights
 Could you tell me about the flight availability?
 Do you want to go economy, business or first class?
 How many of you will be travelling?
 Does that include airport tax?
 No, tax is another $70 on top of that
 Can I book that, then?
 I’d like to book a hotel room
 Could you check if the hotel has any rooms free?
 Is there a discount rate?
 Do you mind if I book it provisionally?
 I’ll call you back later to confirm
Dolores: Hello! Dolores speaking…
Tim:
Ah yes, hello. I’d like to enquire about flights to Hong Kong from Kennedy Airport
in New York, please. I’m off to a conference at the end of the month - Thursday
22nd until Tuesday 27th. Could you tell me about the flight availability and
prices?

Dolores: Certainly. Do you want to go economy, business or first class?

Tim: Well, I’d like to go first class, but unfortunately I’ll have to go economy - company
rules, you see.
Dolores: Yes, sure, I understand. How many of you will be travelling?
Tim: Ah, it’s just me.
Dolores:
Okay, so that’s one seat … economy … New York - Kennedy to Hong Kong Airport.

Tim: And how much will that be?

Dolores: Let me see … to qualify for the discount rate, you need to stay over a Saturday,
which you are doing … Yes, that’ll be $830.
Tim: Right, and does that include airport tax?
Dolores: No, tax is another $70 on top of that.
Tim: Okay. Can I book that, then?
Dolores: Certainly.
Dolores:
Can I help you with anything else?

Tim:
Yes, I'd like to book a hotel room too, for the full five nights. Could you
check if the Regency Hotel has any rooms free?

Dolores: Yes, they do.

Tim:
And is there a discount rate for conference delegates?

Dolores:
Yes, there is. I think it's 10% but I can check that for you.

Tim:
Okay, do you mind if I book it provisionally for now and I'll call you
back later to confirm? I just need to check one or two details.

Dolores:
That's fine, sir. Can I help you with anything else?

Tim:
No, that's all for now. As I said, I'll call you back.
 Instructions: Finish the sentence with the correct phrase.
1. I’d like to ___________ about flights.
 A find
B enquire
C question you
D tell me
 2. Tax is $50 on ________ of that.
 A plus
B end
C bottom
D top
 3. I’d like to book a hotel room ___________.
 A proficiently
B provisionally
C professionally
D prescriptively
 4. I’ll call you back later to ___________.
 A speak
B assure
C confirm
D certify
A lot of people find it difficult to make
phone calls in a foreign language – and that's
understandable. You can't see the person you
are talking to, their voice might be unclear,
and you might find it difficult to find the
right words.
 One thing you can do to improve your telephone skills is to learn some of
the multi-word verbs that are commonly used in telephone conversations.
Most of them are featured in this module. Hold on means 'wait' – and
hang on means 'wait' too. Be careful not to confuse hang on with hang
up! Hang up means 'finish the call by breaking the connection' – in other
words: 'put the phone down.'
 Another phrasal verb with the same meaning as hang up is ring off. The
opposite of hang up / ring off is ring up – if you ring somebody up, you
make a phone call. And if you pick up the phone, (or pick the phone up)
you answer a call when the phone rings.
 "Hang on a second..."
 If you are talking to a receptionist, secretary or switchboard operator,
they may ask you to hang on while they put you through – put through
means to connect your call to another telephone. With this verb, the
object (you, me, him, her etc.) goes in the middle of the verb: put you
through.
 But if you can't get through to (contact on the phone) the person you
want to talk to, you might be able to leave a message asking them to call
you back. Call back means to return a phone call – and if you use an
object (you, me, him, her etc.), it goes in the middle of the verb: call
you back.
 Another thing to think about when talking on the
telephone is formality. It's important to use the
right level of formality – if you are too formal,
people might find it difficult to feel comfortable
when they talk to you. On the other hand, if you
are too informal, people might think you are
rude!
 Generally speaking, if you are talking to
someone in a business context, you should use
could, can, may or would when you make a
request: 'Could I speak to Jason Roberts,
please?' 'Can I take a message?' 'Would next
Wednesday be okay?'. You should also use
please and thank you or thanks very much
whenever you ask for, or receive, help or
information.
 It's important to show politeness by using words like would,
could, please, thank you etc. But it's also okay to use
some of the features of informal/spoken English - short
forms, phrasal verbs and words like okay and bye - in other
words - everyday English! So phrases like I'm off to a
conference..., no problem, bye! and hang on a moment
and I'll put you through are perfectly acceptable, as long
as the overall tone of the conversation is polite.

 One last tip - it's better to ask for help or clarification

when you're having a telephone conversation, than to
pretend you understand something that you didn't. It's
perfectly acceptable to use phrases like 'Could you repeat
that, please?' 'Could you speak a little more slowly,
please?' and 'would you mind spelling that for me
please?' Using phrases like these will help make sure that
you have a successful phone call, and may save you from
lots of problems later on. You could always say that the
line's very bad today if you can't hear very well. And it's
also a good idea to practise words, phrases and vocabulary
before you make the call!
I beg your pardon/sorry, I didn’t catch
that/that number/name/company name
 Sorry, could you repeat your name/etc
 Sorry, I didnt hear that
 Sorry, I didnt understand thatcould you spell
that/your name, please
 Okay, I’ve got that now
 Mr..., I understand
 I see, thank you